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DDG 104 | USS STERETT

Namesake:

The USS Sterett was named after Lieutenant Andrew Sterett, born 27
January 1778 in Baltimore, Maryland. Andrew’s father was a
successful shipping merchant who had served as a captain during the
Revolutionary War. Andrew was the fourth of ten children and despite
his sizable inheritance, entered the Navy as a Lieutenant on 25 March
1798 at the age of twenty. He served as Third Lieutenant aboard the
newly commissioned frigate Constellation. He was in command of a gun
battery during the undeclared war with France in which the fledgling U.
S. Navy scored its first victory on the high seas against the French
frigate L’Insurgente.

By February 1800 Andrew Sterett had been promoted to First Lieutenant
and participated in successful battles against French ships. Later that
year he assumed his first command, the schooner Enterprise. This was
the first US Navy ship to bear that name.

The Enterprise sailed to the Mediterranean with Commodore Richard Dale
to quell the Barbary pirates. Andrew Sterett and the Enterprise went up
against the pirate warship Tripoli in a furious engagement. He
successfully fought off three attempts by the pirates to board his
crippled ship. Enterprise beat back all attacks and defeated the
pirates. He was presented with a sword by President Thomas Jefferson
and his crew received an additional month’s pay for their
heroism. Following several more dispatches to the coast of Tripoli,
Sterett and the Enterprise witnessed the return of freedom of the seas
in the Mediterranean for American ships. He returned home in March of
1803 and resigned from the Navy in 1805. He pursued a career in the
merchant marine and died a premature death in Lima, Peru on 9 June 1807
at the age of thirty.

Andrew Sterett left the U.S. Navy with a rich tradition of
determination in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. His
bravery, gallantry and heroism live on in the ships that bear his name.

Historical
Notes:

Not yet available

Ship's Crest:

Seal: The
coat of arms as blazoned in full color upon a white oval enclosed
within a dark blue collar edged on the outside with gold chain and
inscribed at top “USS STERETT” and in base
“DDG 104” all in gold
letters.

The Shield: Celeste
represents worldwide mission capabilities of the new DDG-104,
gold and dark blue symbolize U.S. Navy traditions. Scarlet denotes
courage and the sacrifices made in battle by the three previous ships
to bear the name STERETT since the founding of the nation. The scarlet
mullet in base recalls the first incident in which a U.S. Navy vessel,
DLG-31, shot down and destroyed a Russian-built MIG 17 airplane with a
Terrier missile during the Battle of Dong Hoi in Vietnam. The mullets
on top of the demi-trident represent the three previous ships named
STERETT, (Destroyer No. 27, DD-407 and DLG/CG-31), the trident
signifies expertise and mastery at sea. The sword and spy-glass are
derived from the insignia of DLG/CG-31; the sword recalls that awarded
to Andrew Sterett by Congress for the capture of a Tripolitan cruiser
in 1801 while he commanded the USS ENTERPRISE during the Barbary Wars,
the telescopic eye-glass symbolizes his outstanding service in the
early days of the U.S. Navy. The bordure signifies unity and resolve.

The Crest: The
frigate
recalls the first-ever U.S. victory against a foreign navy,
in which Sterett participated as Third Lieutenant of the USF
CONSTELLATION in the capture of the French frigate
L’Insurgente in
1799. The annulet of stars represents the combined battle stars awarded
to STERETTs DD-407 and DLG-31 for World War II and Vietnam service.